Why did India and Pakistan carry out nuclear tests in 1998 and what are the consequences of their actions? This paper examines the complex domestic and international factors that persuaded each country to drop its long-standing nuclear ambiguity. It also unravels the repercussions of the tests, both for regional stability and for global non-proliferation regimes, and argues that the West needs a new approach if it is to deal with the nuclear dangers on the subcontinent.

This book argues that any strategy for dealing with Pakistan requires an understanding of the country's complex and turbulent history and of the weaknesses of its political and other institutions. It describes how, in the absence of an inherent national identity, successive military and civilian governments have made use of Islam and Kashmir, 'the unfinished business of Partition', for political purposes. It also examines the role of the army and of its intelligence service, the ISI, in relation to India, Afghanistan and internal political manipulation.

The nature and history of...